The present invention relates to missiles, and more particularly, to an electromagnetic radiation resistant missile and launcher system for shielding a missile from external electromagnetic radiation.
It is very desirable to provide for protection of a guided missile that is potentially exposed to electromagnetic radiation while it is in a hazardous electromagnetic radiation to ordnance environment. Placing the missile in such an environment can cause the missile to be degraded, damaged, or prematurely detonated when stored, handled, transported, or deployed.
Conventional electromagnetic radiation resistant enclosures for missiles employ shielding that provides for direct contact (low ohmic resistance) Faraday shielding of the missile. The conventional enclosure employs fully shielded connector hardware and precise sealing of all joints and mechanical interfaces on the missile. The disadvantage to this approach is its high cost and reduced reliability when the missile is subjected to shock and vibration environments.
In conventional shielded missiles, the shielding of the missile launcher system is integrated into the missile system shielding through the precisely sealed mechanical interfaces and shielded interface connectors. This approach is technically difficult and expensive, particularly if it is desired to upgrade an existing missile system that was not originally built with integrated shielding.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an electromagnetic radiation resistant missile and launcher system. It is a further objective of the present invention to provide for a housing for a missile and launcher system that provides for decoupling, or isolation, of high frequencies in interface wiring between the missile and the launcher, while at the same time using the missile housing or case to form an independent high frequency Faraday shield around the missile.